Risk of exposure of surgical personnel to patients' blood

The frequency of exposures to blood in the operating room is particularlyhigh. Among health care workers, surgeons are the mostconcerned. Exposures consist usually in needlesticks and mucocutaneouscontacts. Accidental percutaneous exposures occur during1.7 to 6.9% of procedures. Most of them are at a low risk of viraltransmission because they are either a simple contact with bloodeither a needlestick with a suture needle through a glove. Most ofpercutaneous needlesticks occur at the end of the procedure, whilesuturing. Vascular surgery has the highest rate of injury. The riskof viral transmission during an injury can concern the surgeonfrom the patient or the patient from the surgeon. The risk of HBVtransmission from a surgeon to a patient has been particularlydocumented.The strategies of prevention include hepatitis B vaccination andchanges in surgical techniques and equipment in order to improvebarriers such as the use of sharp containers for devices, doublegloving,etc. In case of risk of HIV transmission post-exposureprophylaxis is indicated.